The Sunlight Supply Amphitheater as seen aerially.
Residents near the Clark County Fairgrounds are seeking to alleviate traffic issues caused by Sunlight Supply Amphitheater events by urging county officials to look at the impacts seen on back roads in a revamped traffic management plan that made its debut this month.
The Fairgrounds Neighborhood Association (FGNA) hosted two county officials at their May meeting: Clark County Public Works Traffic Engineering and Operations Section Supervisor Matt Griswold and Ann Christian, the county’s property and indigent defense services manager who serves as a liaison between the county and the amphitheater operators.
The Traffic Management Plan for amphitheater events was an update of the original. It cut down dozens of pages to just two and is coupled with maps showing setups for high and low traffic events.
“This is a living document,” Griswold said, noting that going forward changes could be made to address issues as they appeared. Accompanying the two-page written document outlining goals of the plan were several images showing placement of signs, cones and traffic control officers.
Although the plan focused specifically on the 179th Street corridor from Northwest 11th Avenue to the Interstate 5 interchange, much of the traffic issues residents noted were on back roads leading to the amphitheater — specifically 164th Street.
Several residents at the meeting, including FGNA President Bridget Schwarz, noted that traffic on that road was “bumper to bumper” at times the evening of the first concert of the year, May 6.
Both residents and county officials made observations on traffic over the course of the event, but residents feel that the Traffic Management Plan does not adequately focus on 164th Street.
Griswold noted that 164th Street was not blocked off to amphitheater traffic for the May 6 concert, explaining that venue operators did not anticipate anyone using that route. He said that navigation applications such as Waze were directing concertgoers to the back entrance of the venue, usually exclusively used for buses transporting concertgoers from transit closer to Vancouver.
A suggestion was made to contact Waze in order to communicate that the routing was not conducive to amphitheater event traffic. Griswold said he would be in contact with Public Works Communications Specialist Jeff Mize regarding a possible change, noting it was something the county needed to “do a little homework on.”
Moving forward, Griswold said he would get into contact with amphitheater manager Kiet Callies about putting up and manning barricades to keep concert traffic off of the more rural roads, though he added if that could happen it would likely only be for larger events.
In a related concern not tied to traffic, Christian brought up a noise level report following the May 6 event. She said that the noise report showed the concert was within acceptable levels, however the data came from the concert itself, not from any rehearsals which is when some residents said noise levels were the worst.
Other issues addressed included pedestrian traffic on roadways, generated from rideshare passengers exiting their transportation prior to getting into the amphitheater proper. Residents expressed concern that given the lack of pedestrian infrastructure on many of the side roads, it was an accident waiting to happen — especially in the dark after an event.
Regarding future development, Griswold touched on a bridge project over Whipple Creek connecting currently separate parts of Northeast 10th Avenue and potentially allowing for another route of travel for concertgoers. He noted that in conversations with Callies, the manager did not want to use the new route for general traffic — though buses would be allowed.
“His plan is not to use it as a major entrance in,” Griswold said.
